Pet Safety / Compounds / Oleandrin

Is Oleandrin safe for dogs and cats?

Extreme risk for pets

Dogs are highly susceptible to oleandrin toxicity and oleander represents one of the most common causes of potentially fatal plant poisoning in dogs in regions where it is planted. Ingestion of a single leaf can cause severe toxicosis in a small dog. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, lethargy, ataxia, bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmias (AV block, ventricular fibrillation), and death within 24 hours without treatment. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and clinical case series report high case fatality rates in dogs with significant oleander ingestion that are not promptly treated. Treatment with digoxin-specific antibody Fab fragments has been used in dogs with good results when available; supportive cardiac management is the mainstay. Dogs in landscaped environments in California, the US Southwest, Florida, and Mediterranean countries face endemic exposure risk from oleander hedges.

What is oleandrin?

The IUPAC name is [(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,13R,14S,16S,17R)-14-hydroxy-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6S)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-(5-oxo-2H-furan-3-yl)-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-16-yl] acetate.

Also known as: [(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,13R,14S,16S,17R)-14-hydroxy-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6S)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-(5-oxo-2H-furan-3-yl)-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-16-yl] acetate, Foliandrin, Neriolin, Folinerin.

IUPAC name
[(3S,5R,8R,9S,10S,13R,14S,16S,17R)-14-hydroxy-3-[(2R,4S,5S,6S)-5-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxy-10,13-dimethyl-17-(5-oxo-2H-furan-3-yl)-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,16,17-tetradecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthren-16-yl] acetate
CAS number
465-16-7
Molecular formula
C32H48O9
Molecular weight
576.7 g/mol
SMILES
CC1C(C(CC(O1)OC2CCC3(C(C2)CCC4C3CCC5(C4(CC(C5C6=CC(=O)OC6)OC(=O)C)O)C)C)OC)O
PubChem CID
11541511

Risk for dogs

Extreme risk

Dogs are highly susceptible to oleandrin toxicity and oleander represents one of the most common causes of potentially fatal plant poisoning in dogs in regions where it is planted. Ingestion of a single leaf can cause severe toxicosis in a small dog. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, lethargy, ataxia, bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmias (AV block, ventricular fibrillation), and death within 24 hours without treatment. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and clinical case series report high case fatality rates in dogs with significant oleander ingestion that are not promptly treated. Treatment with digoxin-specific antibody Fab fragments has been used in dogs with good results when available; supportive cardiac management is the mainstay. Dogs in landscaped environments in California, the US Southwest, Florida, and Mediterranean countries face endemic exposure risk from oleander hedges.

Risk for cats

Extreme risk

Cats are equally sensitive to oleandrin cardiac glycoside toxicity. Outdoor cats in oleander-landscaped environments may nibble leaves or groom oleander residue from their coat. The mechanism and clinical presentation are identical to those in dogs — Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition causing hyperkalemia and cardiac arrhythmias. ASPCA lists oleander as causing severe, potentially fatal cardiac toxicosis in cats. The management approach (Fab antibody fragments, supportive cardiac care) is the same as in dogs. Given the ubiquity of oleander as a landscape plant in warm climates and the extreme susceptibility of cats to cardiac glycosides, oleander exposure represents a significant risk for cats with outdoor access.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Oleandrin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Unknown——

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter oleandrin

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Oleandrin:

  • Avoidance (no chemical substitute)
    Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is oleandrin safe for pets?

Dogs are highly susceptible to oleandrin toxicity and oleander represents one of the most common causes of potentially fatal plant poisoning in dogs in regions where it is planted. Ingestion of a single leaf can cause severe toxicosis in a small dog. Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, hypersalivation, lethargy, ataxia, bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmias (AV block, ventricular fibrillation), and death within 24 hours without treatment. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and clinical case series report high case fatality rates in dogs with significant oleander ingestion that are not promptly treated. Treatment with digoxin-specific antibody Fab fragments has been used in dogs with good results when available; supportive cardiac management is the mainstay. Dogs in landscaped environments in California, the US Southwest, Florida, and Mediterranean countries face endemic exposure risk from oleander hedges.

What products contain oleandrin?

Oleandrin appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

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Sources (2)
  1. Galey FD et al.: Diagnosis of Oleander (Nerium oleander) Poisoning by Determination of Oleandrin in Serum and Aqueous Humor by HPLC (Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 1996) (1996) — scientific
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Oleander (Nerium oleander) — Oleandrin Cardiac Glycoside Toxicity in Dogs and Cats, Clinical Cases, and Treatment with Digoxin-Specific Fab Fragments (2020) — veterinary

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →